VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta. Thailand on Monday reported 985 new COVID-19 cases, a record daily jump for a second day in a row, as the country deals with a third wave of infections and a highly contagious variant.

Since the latest outbreak began at the start of April, 4,641 new domestic cases have been added in less than two weeks, bringing the total since last year to 33,610 cases and 97 deaths.

The spike comes ahead of the major national Songkran holidays, known for big street water fights that authorities have now banned for a second year due to the pandemic.

All but five new cases on Monday were local transmissions, including 137 in the capital Bangkok, the epicentre of an outbreak that has spread to most of Thailand’s 77 provinces.

Authorities have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and reduce gatherings to help limit the outbreak, which includes the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first identified in Britain.

“Although infections are spreading fast and found in many provinces across the country, they are mostly imported there,” Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told reporters.

“Please be careful and avoid crowded places especially during Songkran.”

Nightspots such as pubs and karaoke bars in Bangkok and 40 provinces will be closed until April 23.

The measure should slow down infection rates by nearly a third in the next month, a senior health official said on Sunday, warning that otherwise under a worst-case scenario infections could hypothetically reach over 28,000 per day.

Around 570,000 vaccine doses had been administered from the end of February to April 11, authorities said on Monday, although still only reaching less than 1% of the population.

Last week, some hospitals in Bangkok said they had stopped testing for coronavirus over a lack of kits or bed capacity.

Authorities have said they were working to add more beds using field hospitals or hotel rooms to support a rising number of patients.

Thailand has nearly 20,000 beds available across the country, not including about 3,000 in Bangkok, authorities said. (Reuters)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will jointly open the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition virtually on Monday evening.

"God willing, tonight, at around 18:00 WIB (Western Indonesian Standard Time), President Jokowi will deliver a speech at the opening of the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition. At the same time, at around 13:00 German time, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will also deliver her speech," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita noted in a statement here on Monday.

The world's largest industrial technology expo is being held on April 12-16, with Indonesia as the official partner country.

"Implementing the Hannover Messe event is very important for Indonesia. It is something special since Indonesia is the official partner country of the Hannover Messe. Hence, we see that countries appointed as partner countries are those viewed as being quite advanced in the industrial sector," the minister remarked.

Prior to the joint inauguration by Jokowi and Merkel, several ministries are scheduled to deliver their presentations.

Minister Kartasasmita will give a presentation on the Journey of Making Indonesia 4.0, while the tourism and creative economy minister will highlight the Wonderful Indonesia programs and the Ministry of Trade will draw attention to the global value chain.

The chief of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) will deliver a presentation on developments in investment realization in Indonesia, while the research and technology minister or the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) will review innovations for the COVID-19 vaccine, and CEO of startup company PT Mitra Sejahtera Membangun Bangsa, recipient of the Hermes Startup Award from the Hannover Messe 2020, will also give a presentation.

"On this occasion, Mr Airlangga Hartarto, as the coordinating minister for economic affairs, from Indonesia will give his presentation. In fact, the chairman of DPR (House of Representatives) will also give a speech. This demonstrates that the government and legislature are working together for supporting this activity, especially pertaining to the implementation of Industry 4.0 and the road map for Making Indonesia 4.0," Kartasasmita remarked.

"Hannover Messe 2021 is expected to boost investment, industrial cooperation, and business agreements," he remarked.

Bilateral ties between Indonesia and Germany intensified following President Jokowi’s visit to Germany in 2016, he pointed out.

Both governments concurred on bolstering strategic partnership ties focused on three fields: cooperation in vocational education, renewable energy, and the maritime sector. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) intercepted and detained five Vietnamese-flagged fishing boats on grounds of poaching in the Natuna waters, Riau Islands Province.

"We seized five foreign fishing boats bearing Vietnamese flags when they were about to steal or catch squids in the northern Natuna Sea, Riau Islands," Acting Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Monitoring (PSDKP) Antam Novambar stated at the Rengas River here, Monday.

A total of 20 crew members of the foreign boats were also placed in detention.

"Currently, the five foreign boats and their 20 crew members have been moved to PSDKP Pontianak, pending the legal process," he remarked.

The boats were vessels specialized for catching squid and had often conducted poaching of squid in the northern Natuna Sea over the past two months.

"Fishermen of the five foreign boats attempted to evade arrest by colliding their boats into a joint patrol boat," he revealed.

According to the KKP ministry's data, some 100 foreign fishing boats were detained for poaching in the Indonesian waters in 2020.

Since January 2021, some 72 fishing boats, including 12 foreign vessels, were seized. (Antaranews)

Jakarta. National Development Planning (PPN) Minister Suharso Monoarfa, concurrently National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head, suggested that West Sumatra's Ngarai Sianok-Maninjau Geopark be proposed for inclusion into the List of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp).

The Sianok-Maninjau Geopark is a potential geological heritage on account of the faults in the Sumatra volcanic system, the minister noted in a statement here on Monday.

"This is an extraordinary wealth. Bappenas is striving to ensure that the Sianok-Maninjau Ngarai Geopark is included into the UNESCO Global Geoparks network," the PPN minister, who had visited the geopark on Saturday, remarked.

Ngarai Sianok-Maninjau is a nature’s laboratory for research and study on disaster and environmental mitigation as well as for natural and cultural conservation.

Monoafga pointed out that at least 17 requirements had to be met for its inclusion into the UGGp List.

The Bappenas head stressed that the biodiversity and endemic species at Lake Maninjau should be preserved and utilized for the welfare of the community and the future generations.

Pollution and tourism activities, which are detrimental to the environment, have reduced the number of species at the lake, from 33 species in 1916 to 16 in 2014.

The number of endemic species that were earlier recorded at 16 had also decreased to seven species.

The local government plays a crucial role in ecotourism that is clean, healthy, safe, and environment-friendly, he affirmed.

“I suggest, the mayor, to start banning plastics here. This can help our geopark because plastics are threatening and damaging the environment. Meanwhile, the environment here is extraordinary," he stated.

During his visit to West Sumatra, Monoafga also headed to Pandai Sikek, Tanah Datar, which is known for its traditional woven cloth craft.

The PPN minister held a dialog with MSMEs producing songket that are woven traditionally on non-machine looms (ATBM) and have unique motifs of silver and gold threads. (Antaranews)